Recently, there has been an increased demand to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in order to protect the environment. In the automobile industry, electric and hybrid electric vehicles have been introduced to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide. In this regard, the use of a bipolar battery has been primarily contemplated as a power source for driving the motors of these vehicles.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. (Hei.) 11-204136 discloses a bipolar battery manufactured by preparing an electrolyte layer in a bipolar electrode wherein a cathode is formed at one side of a collector and an anode is formed at another side of the collector and by stacking the electrolyte layers to form a stack.
When forming such a stack, the electrolyte layer having a cathode and an anode (a layer of separator into which the electrolyte penetrates and segments a cathode and an anode, or a layer of electrolyte between the cathode or anode and the separator) is provided in the collector. The electrolyte layers are then stacked upon one another.